Judah יהודה
English gets the word Jew from here. The name holds all four letters of the Name, with a ד added, and the Talmud remarks on it.
- Found in the Torah
- 46,554
- Chance alone: 47,056
- Skips 2 to 76,212
- Found in the Tanakh
- 880,050
- Chance alone: 876,466
- Skips 2 to 299,260
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This is the name that gives English the word Jew. Leah's fourth son is called יהודה because this time I will praise the Lord, in Genesis 29:35, and his brothers will bow to him, says Jacob in 49:8. The Talmud in Sotah 10b says that because Judah owned up before Tamar and sanctified the Name in public, his whole name was called after the Name of the Holy One, and the letters show what that means: all four letters of the Name stand in his, with a ד added. His tribe outlasted the others. When the north fell, Judah was what was left, which is why Jews are called after this one son. The word stands 684 times bare, more in Jeremiah than in any other book. The letters are all very common ones, so the count is high.
- As a whole word
- 684
- First, with any prefix
- Genesis 29:35
The measurement
Though it stands 684 times as a word, the name's Torah figure is 46,554 against 47,056.0, a difference of about 1 percent. Compare Simeon, a far rarer word with a very similar count: five letters of this kind land in the same range whatever history did to them.
| At every skip | Torah | Tanakh |
|---|---|---|
| Found | 46,554 | 880,050 |
| Chance alone | 47,056 | 876,466 |
| P (≥ found) | 0.99 | 6.5 × 10⁻⁵ |
| Shortest skip | 3 | 2 |
| Longest skip | 76,190 | 298,878 |
Counted forward and backward on the written text, with final letters treated as ordinary ones. At the laboratory's opening setting, skips 2 to 5,000, the Torah gives 5,877 against 5,971 by chance. How these figures are made.
The sequences, letter by letter
Each letter is shown in the verse it happens to stand in, nothing more. Tap one to read it in the Tanakh, with the rest of the sequence marked.
In the Torah
Shortest skip 3, forward from Exodus 9:5
Shortest skip 3, backward from Numbers 35:20
Short skip 50, backward from Genesis 29:33
וַתַּ֣הַר עוֹד֮ וַתֵּ֣לֶד בֵּן֒ וַתֹּ֗אמֶר כִּֽי־שָׁמַ֤ע יְקוָק֙ כִּֽי־שְׂנוּאָ֣ה אָנֹ֔כִי וַיִּתֶּן־לִ֖י גַּם־אֶת־זֶ֑ה וַתִּקְרָ֥א שְׁמ֖וֹ שִׁמְעֽוֹן׃
And she conceived again, and bore a son; and said: ‘Because the LORD hath heard that I am hated, He hath therefore given me this son also.’ And she called his name Simeon.
וַתַּ֤הַר לֵאָה֙ וַתֵּ֣לֶד בֵּ֔ן וַתִּקְרָ֥א שְׁמ֖וֹ רְאוּבֵ֑ן כִּ֣י אָֽמְרָ֗ה כִּֽי־רָאָ֤ה יְקוָק֙ בְּעָנְיִ֔י כִּ֥י עַתָּ֖ה יֶאֱהָבַ֥נִי אִישִֽׁי׃
And Leah conceived, and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben; for she said: ‘Because the LORD hath looked upon my affliction; for now my husband will love me.’
וַיָּבֹא֙ גַּ֣ם אֶל־רָחֵ֔ל וַיֶּאֱהַ֥ב גַּֽם־אֶת־רָחֵ֖ל מִלֵּאָ֑ה וַיַּעֲבֹ֣ד עִמּ֔וֹ ע֖וֹד שֶֽׁבַע־שָׁנִ֥ים אֲחֵרֽוֹת׃
And he went in also unto Rachel, and he loved Rachel more than Leah, and served with him yet seven other years.
וַיִּתֵּ֤ן לָבָן֙ לְרָחֵ֣ל בִּתּ֔וֹ אֶת־בִּלְהָ֖ה שִׁפְחָת֑וֹ לָ֖הּ לְשִׁפְחָֽה׃
And Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his handmaid to be her handmaid.
Middle skip 502, backward from Leviticus 21:7
אִשָּׁ֨ה זֹנָ֤ה וַחֲלָלָה֙ לֹ֣א יִקָּ֔חוּ וְאִשָּׁ֛ה גְּרוּשָׁ֥ה מֵאִישָׁ֖הּ לֹ֣א יִקָּ֑חוּ כִּֽי־קָדֹ֥שׁ ה֖וּא לֵא־לֹהָֽיו׃
They shall not take a woman that is a harlot, or profaned; neither shall they take a woman put away from her husband; for he is holy unto his God.
וְהִבְדַּלְתֶּ֞ם בֵּֽין־הַבְּהֵמָ֤ה הַטְּהֹרָה֙ לַטְּמֵאָ֔ה וּבֵין־הָע֥וֹף הַטָּמֵ֖א …
Ye shall therefore separate between the clean beast and the unclean, and between the unclean fowl and the clean; and ye shall not make your souls detestable by beast, or by fowl, or by any thing wherewith the ground teemeth, which I have set apart for you to hold unclean.
… אֶת־אֲחֹת֡וֹ בַּת־אָבִ֣יו א֣וֹ בַת־אִ֠מּוֹ וְרָאָ֨ה אֶת־עֶרְוָתָ֜הּ וְהִֽיא־תִרְאֶ֤ה אֶת־עֶרְוָתוֹ֙ חֶ֣סֶד …
And if a man shall take his sister, his father’s daughter, or his mother’s daughter, and see her nakedness, and she see his nakedness: it is a shameful thing; and they shall be cut off in the sight of the children of their people: he hath uncovered his sister’s nakedness; he shall bear his iniquity.
וְהִ֨תְקַדִּשְׁתֶּ֔ם וִהְיִיתֶ֖ם קְדֹשִׁ֑ים כִּ֛י אֲנִ֥י יְקוָ֖ק אֱ־לֹהֵיכֶֽם׃
Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy; for I am the LORD your God.
לֹא־תַעֲשׂ֥וּ עָ֖וֶל בַּמִּשְׁפָּ֑ט בַּמִּדָּ֕ה בַּמִּשְׁקָ֖ל וּבַמְּשׂוּרָֽה׃
Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in meteyard, in weight, or in measure.
Wide skip 5,002, backward from Deuteronomy 3:2
… וְעָשִׂ֣יתָ לּ֔וֹ כַּאֲשֶׁ֣ר עָשִׂ֗יתָ לְסִיחֹן֙ מֶ֣לֶךְ הָֽאֱמֹרִ֔י אֲשֶׁ֥ר יוֹשֵׁ֖ב …
And the LORD said unto me: ‘Fear him not; for I have delivered him, and all his people, and his land, into thy hand; and thou shalt do unto him as thou didst unto Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt at Heshbon.’
… לְאֶחָ֗ד מִמִּשְׁפַּ֛חַת מַטֵּ֥ה אָבִ֖יהָ תִּהְיֶ֣ה לְאִשָּׁ֑ה לְמַ֗עַן יִֽירְשׁוּ֙ בְּנֵ֣י …
And every daughter, that possesseth an inheritance in any tribe of the children of Israel, shall be wife unto one of the family of the tribe of her father, that the children of Israel may possess every man the inheritance of his fathers.
וַיִּסְע֖וּ מִיַּם־ס֑וּף וַֽיַּחֲנ֖וּ בְּמִדְבַּר־סִֽין׃
And they journeyed from the Red Sea, and pitched in the wilderness of Sin.
וַיִּשְׁלַ֨ח אֹתָ֥ם מֹשֶׁ֛ה אֶ֥לֶף לַמַּטֶּ֖ה לַצָּבָ֑א אֹ֠תָם וְאֶת־פִּ֨ינְחָ֜ס בֶּן־אֶלְעָזָ֤ר הַכֹּהֵן֙ לַצָּבָ֔א וּכְלֵ֥י הַקֹּ֛דֶשׁ וַחֲצֹצְר֥וֹת הַתְּרוּעָ֖ה בְּיָדֽוֹ׃
And Moses sent them, a thousand of every tribe, to the war, them and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, to the war, with the holy vessels and the trumpets for the alarm in his hand.
וְרָאִ֣יתָה אֹתָ֔הּ וְנֶאֱסַפְתָּ֥ אֶל־עַמֶּ֖יךָ גַּם־אָ֑תָּה כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר נֶאֱסַ֖ף אַהֲרֹ֥ן אָחִֽיךָ׃
And when thou hast seen it, thou also shalt be gathered unto thy people, as Aaron thy brother was gathered;
Outside the Torah
Shortest skip 2, backward from Ezekiel 47:8
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֵלַ֗י הַמַּ֤יִם הָאֵ֨לֶּה֙ יוֹצְאִ֗ים אֶל־הַגְּלִילָה֙ הַקַּדְמוֹנָ֔ה וְיָרְד֖וּ עַל־הָֽעֲרָבָ֑ה וּבָ֣אוּ הַיָּ֔מָּה אֶל־הַיָּ֥מָּה הַמּֽוּצָאִ֖ים ונרפאווְנִרְפּ֥וּ הַמָּֽיִם׃
Then said he unto me: ‘These waters issue forth toward the eastern region, and shall go down into the Arabah; and when they shall enter into the sea, into the sea of the putrid waters, the waters shall be healed.
Middle skip 500, forward from 1 Samuel 26:19
… אֵ֖ת דִּבְרֵ֣י עַבְדּ֑וֹ אִם־יְקוָ֞ק הֱסִֽיתְךָ֥ בִי֙ יָרַ֣ח מִנְחָ֔ה וְאִ֣ם …
Now therefore, I pray thee, let my lord the king hear the words of his servant. If it be the LORD that hath stirred thee up against me, let Him accept an offering; but if it be the children of men, cursed be they before the LORD…
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר דָּוִד֙ אֶל־לִבּ֔וֹ עַתָּ֛ה אֶסָּפֶ֥ה יוֹם־אֶחָ֖ד בְּיַד־שָׁא֑וּל אֵֽין־לִ֨י ט֜וֹב …
And David said in his heart: ‘I shall now be swept away one day by the hand of Saul; there is nothing better for me than that I should escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul will despair of me, to seek me any more in all the borders of Israel; so shall I escape out of his hand.’
… הָאָ֨רֶץ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר מֵֽעוֹלָ֔ם בּוֹאֲךָ֥ שׁ֖וּרָה וְעַד־אֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם׃
And David and his men went up, and made a raid upon the Geshurites, and the Gizrites, and the Amalekites; for those were the inhabitants of the land, who were of old, as thou goest to Shur, even unto the land of Egypt.
וּשְׁמוּאֵ֣ל מֵ֔ת וַיִּסְפְּדוּ־לוֹ֙ כָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וַיִּקְבְּרֻ֥הוּ בָרָמָ֖ה וּבְעִיר֑וֹ וְשָׁא֗וּל הֵסִ֛יר הָאֹב֥וֹת וְאֶת־הַיִּדְּעֹנִ֖ים מֵהָאָֽרֶץ׃
Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him in Ramah, even in his own city. And Saul had put away those that divined by a ghost or a familiar spirit out of the land.
וַתֵּ֤רֶא הָֽאִשָּׁה֙ אֶת־שְׁמוּאֵ֔ל וַתִּזְעַ֖ק בְּק֣וֹל גָּד֑וֹל וַתֹּאמֶר֩ הָאִשָּׁ֨ה אֶל־שָׁא֧וּל לֵאמֹ֛ר לָ֥מָּה רִמִּיתָ֖נִי וְאַתָּ֥ה שָׁאֽוּל׃
And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice; and the woman spoke to Saul, saying: ‘Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul.’
By skip range, shuffled texts and book
| Skips, Torah | Found | Chance alone |
|---|---|---|
| 2 to 10 | 10 | 11.1 |
| 11 to 100 | 108 | 111 |
| 101 to 1,000 | 1,094 | 1,103 |
| 1,001 to 5,000 | 4,665 | 4,745 |
| 5,001 to 76,212 | 40,677 | 41,085 |
Shuffled Torahs
The Torah's own count at skips 2 to 1,000 is 1,212. Each family below rebuilt the text 100 times (seed 5787). What each family keeps.
| Control family | Runs at or above 1,212 | Median run | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Letter shuffle | 68/100 | 1,229 | 1,137 to 1,341 |
| Words within each verse | 40/100 | 1,204 | 1,117 to 1,277 |
Where the sequences start
| Torah | Found | Chance alone |
|---|---|---|
| Genesis | 12,567 | 12,051 |
| Exodus | 10,388 | 9,807 |
| Leviticus | 6,312 | 6,914 |
| Numbers | 9,077 | 9,809 |
| Deuteronomy | 8,210 | 8,476 |
| Tanakh | Found | Chance alone |
|---|---|---|
| Torah | 206,612 | 223,209 |
| Prophets | 425,189 | 405,478 |
| Writings | 248,249 | 247,779 |
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